Image Credit- Getty
At Emirates Old Trafford, Jordan Thompson stole the show and the game. He kept Trent Rockets’ unlikely victory over Manchester Originals alive by defending two runs from the game’s final three balls.
After the Originals ladies won the first game of the day by one run, there were last-ball finishes on the agenda, and once again, the bowlers side prevailed when many may have been rooting for the batting side.
Max Holden (40) needed two runs for the hosts after Sikandar Raza (21 from 12 balls) ran them out with one ball remaining, pushing the Originals to the verge. To Thompson’s and the Rockets’ pleasure, Holden could only top-edge his attempted pull to Sam Hain on the leg-side.
At the start of the game, Tom Banton gave the Rockets a substantial lead, helped by Rovman Powell (27) and Rashid Khan (15), who was playing in the Hundred for the first time this year, with a powerful cameo.
With spin combination Rashid and Imad Wasim in their attack, Tom Hartley’s 3 for 25 on a sluggish pitch may have hinted it wouldn’t be the simplest chase for the Originals, but when Paul Walter cleared the ropes three times, the home fans started to dream of a day of doubleheader victory.
The Originals supporters were doubtful when those Rockets spinners claimed three wickets in six balls, but Raza appeared to have allayed those anxieties when Thompson came through to help Andy Flower’s Trent Rockets win two out of three games.